Monday, April 20, 2015

Getting the best photos for social media

While I often see great looking pizza shots in my timeline as the PMQ Facebook manager, occasionally I come across the photo that is less than appealing and can do more damage than good. It is always great to have visuals in the pizzeria world online, but that image can define the taste of your food, so you want to put the most appealing look out there. Here are some tips on getting the best shot you can:

#1 Background:

This is often overlooked but can be detrimental if not considered. Look at the full frame of your photo. Is the background appealing? Clean? Or is their a kid picking his nose in the corner? Be careful about all elements of your photo before posting.

This may not be a photo of pizza but the reflection in the background is a prime example of being careful to check what all is in your shot before you post:

#2 Foreground:
Be aware of framing and composition as well as resolution of your photo. Knowing where to place your subject for a more interesting photo as well as being aware of any natural lines that can move the eye through your photo is helpful. If you are not familiar with the rule of thirds, read more about it here. Mashable has a great photo illustration example for composition as well here.
The Wooden Paddle Instagram page often has inspired photos of pizza like the one below. This is framed well and has good lighting.

#3 Camera Angles:

Pizzarium often takes some of the most interesting angles of pizza that I see daily. Check out this fun photo:

You don't always have to capture the whole pie and you don't always have to take a straight on shot. Turn the camera, find a new way to tell your story.

#4 Lighting:

This is crucial. I have seen my fair share of bad pizza pictures that are the result of using flash, improper lighting, or not enough light.

Grimaldi's gets it just right with a nice tight shot of the pizza that is framed well but also lit perfectly. It looks like you could reach out and grab a slice:

Here is what flash looks like and should be a no-no! I hope my new year looked better than this!

Between these two images, which one makes you hungry?

#5: It's not always about pizza.

Want to show how people have a good time at your store? Want to share special news? Check out this great image from Ribalta Pizza:

Courtesy of Ribalta Pizza Facebook page

I first saw this image in my timeline with no context. I clicked on it immediately to learn more. Sure, the composition is not perfect but it shows a whole lot of people at their store also taking a selfie and I wanted to learn more. The story behind it was that a TV show was being filmed at their pizzeria in New York! So if you can take unique fun shots of customers or employees doing something fun, be sure to capture those moments and share them.